JohnDaddyO --Just because a battery has a button on top does not mean it's protected!!!

All the AW batteries we use in vaping do have button tops. The red versions are IMR/High Drain/Safer chemistry batteries. Provape recommends these, and only these, for the Provari.

There are new batteries showing up all the time these days and words like hybrid connected to them. The red AW 18350 and 18490/500 AW's have been the best performers and no lies about the amp limits or mAh ratings. I haven't studied enough yet to see how the new sanyo is in comparison.

What kind of abuse? I never hit them or, teased them. That covers physical and mental abuse. So, that only leaves...
HEY! Now wait just a darn minute!!
Never dropped my evic. What I an thinking is what I call power hitting. When the timer would get to 8-9 seconds, I would release the button and hit it again, Therefore overiding the 10 second cutoff Not sure if that is it but. I won't be doing that anymore!
Just got these today!

The only Efests I noticed not performing as well as I expected for the stated mAh have been 18350's. They simply didn't last near as long as expected between charges and not nearly as long as any AW IMR I've used with similar mAh. I noticed it long before I read about it. Maybe it is inconsistent quality? I'm not sure, but I imagine the data is here on ECF somewhere.

With the Efests it seemed I was changing batteries every hour or so and with the AW's more like 4-5. I've had the same experience with off brand/no brand IMR's -- lasting about 1/2 as long as I expected and also wearing out (not holding charge & time to be recycled) very quickly. Thus, I've found it cheaper to buy the better batteries. (I usually use regulated devices.)

A couple of battery guru's (or several) have stated AW's the best in small sizes -- and at least one of them I know was no AW fan club member---but the actual tests and performance and consistency have continually proved it so. That was true until well into 2013.

I haven't done a side by side comparison of the Efest 18650's and any other brand. After my experience with the 18350's I moved them to storage for back up. As always, YMMV.